UST, a US-based AI and technology transformation company, has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Italian design and engineering firm Italdesign from the Audi Group, announced September 7, 2026. The transaction closes a deal first signed in December 2025 and transfers majority control of the Moncalieri, Turin-based company to UST.
The completion brings Italdesign’s design and engineering operations under UST’s majority ownership while keeping the Italdesign name, values, and operating structure intact, according to statements from both companies. UST described the acquisition as a combination of Italdesign’s vehicle design and engineering heritage with UST’s capabilities in artificial intelligence, digital engineering, software-defined vehicles, and technology transformation.
Deal Structure and Background
UST signed the agreement to acquire the majority stake on December 10, 2025, in a transaction announced jointly by the Audi Group and UST at the time. Italdesign had been part of the Volkswagen Group since 2010, operating under Audi’s Lamborghini subsidiary. Under the original agreement, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. was to retain a significant stake in Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A., keeping Audi as a long-term strategic partner and client of the design house.
The December 2025 announcement stated that the transaction was subject to regulatory approvals, and that UST and the Audi Group had not disclosed the investment value or other contract terms. The September 7, 2026 completion announcement did not disclose a transaction value or additional financial terms.
As majority owner, UST will assume operational responsibility for Italdesign while maintaining the company’s Italian heritage, design culture, and workforce, according to the original agreement. The December 2025 announcement also stated that UST would enable Italdesign to expand its international presence across UST’s global footprint in more than 30 countries.
What Each Company Brings
Italdesign, headquartered in Moncalieri near Turin, employs more than 1,300 professionals across 10 international locations. The company has operated for nearly 60 years in car design, vehicle engineering, and product development, offering end-to-end services from concept design through limited and ultra-limited series production. Its industrial design division has completed more than 1,000 industrial and transportation design projects, and the company has been extending its capabilities into aerospace and robotics.
UST, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, was founded in 1999 and reports more than 30,000 employees in more than 30 countries. The company provides AI-driven digital solutions, proprietary platforms, engineering, research and development, and technology transformation services. UST’s stated areas of automotive expertise include vehicle electronics, embedded systems, AI, software-defined vehicle development, and digital ecosystem design.
Executive Statements
Vijay Padmanabhan, UST’s Chief Financial Officer, said the investment was driven by Italdesign’s people, heritage, and reputation rather than its capabilities alone. “By uniting Italdesign’s renowned design and engineering capabilities with UST’s expertise in digital engineering, AI, and technology transformation, we’re building a platform to help shape the future of mobility,” Padmanabhan said.
Gilroy Mathew, UST’s Chief Operating Officer, said customers increasingly need partners who can connect design, engineering, software, and AI, and that the combined organization would help customers move from concept to production faster while preserving creativity and engineering quality. In the December 2025 announcement, Mathew had described the acquisition as combining Italdesign’s design and manufacturing heritage with UST’s work in vehicle electronics, embedded systems, and AI, spanning next-generation product design, simulations, connectivity, advanced driver-assistance systems, and personalization.
Antonio Casu, Italdesign’s Chief Executive Officer, said the company would continue to operate as Italdesign, with its values and competencies, while benefiting from UST’s global scale, digital engineering expertise, AI capabilities, and client relationships. “We bring nearly 60 years of experience and a unique credibility in the global automotive industry to this partnership,” Casu said. In the December 2025 announcement, Casu had stated that Italdesign aimed to become the first full integrator of hardware and software worldwide, both in automotive and across other high-technology industrial sectors.
Stated Direction
The companies framed the completed acquisition around the automotive industry’s shift toward software-defined, AI-enabled, and connected vehicles. The September 7, 2026 announcement stated that the combined organization would help manufacturers address the growing complexity of next-generation mobility by accelerating work from concept through production. Italdesign’s August 27, 2026 business-model outline, published ahead of its 60th anniversary, described the company as no longer only an automotive development player but increasingly a multidisciplinary organization integrating diverse expertise across mobility and innovation sectors.
